♥︎ Black Heart Suit Symbol (U+2665)
♥ is the solid heart from a deck of playing cards. Tap the big heart to copy it, or choose the exact version you need: plain, text only, or emoji.
Copy the ♥ symbol
№ 01Reference
♥ at a glance
- Unicode name
- BLACK HEART SUIT
- Code point
- Emoji name (CLDR)
- heart suit
- Block
- Miscellaneous SymbolsU+2600 – U+26FF
- Added in
- Unicode 1.1June 1993
- Emoji since
- Emoji 1.02015, as ♥️
- Default style
- TextU+FE0F requests emoji
- Category
- Symbol, Other (So)
- Windows Alt code
- Alt + 3
№ 02For developers
♥ in HTML, CSS, JavaScript and Unicode
Use these values to put ♥ into a web page, a spreadsheet or source code. The Copy buttons copy the code itself, and codes are not added to your combo bar.
| Format | Code | Copy |
|---|---|---|
| HTML named entity | ♥ | |
| HTML decimal | ♥ | |
| HTML hex | ♥ | |
| CSS | content: "\2665"; | |
| JavaScript / JSON | "\u2665" | |
| Python | "\N{BLACK HEART SUIT}" | |
| UTF-8 bytes | E2 99 A5 | |
| UTF-16 | 0x2665 | |
| URL encoded | %E2%99%A5 | |
| Excel / Sheets | =UNICHAR(9829) | |
| LaTeX (filled) | \varheartsuit | |
| Text style | U+2665 U+FE0E | |
| Emoji style | U+2665 U+FE0F |
\heartsuit prints the outline heart ♡, not ♥. For the filled version, use \varheartsuit from a package that provides it, such as stix or txfonts.№ 03Keyboard
How to type ♥ on any device
The traditional Windows Alt+3 shortcut can produce ♥ in applications that support that legacy input. Other routes include a built-in character picker or a text replacement that you set up yourself. See the full heart typing guide for every method.
Windows Alt code
- Hold Alt.
- Press 3 on the numeric keypad, not the top row.
- Release Alt.
No keypad? Search "charmap" in Start, open Character Map, tick Advanced view and search for "heart suit". More on heart alt codes.
Microsoft Word
- Type
2665. - Press Alt + X and the code turns into ♥.
You can also go to Insert → Symbol → More Symbols, then choose the subset Miscellaneous Symbols.
Mac
- Press Ctrl + ⌘ + Space.
- Search "heart suit" and click ♥.
For one-step typing, add a shortcut in System Settings → Keyboard → Text Replacements, for example ;hh → ♥.
iPhone
- Open the emoji keyboard and search "heart suit". It inserts the emoji ♥️.
- For the plain ♥︎, copy the Text version above and save it in Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement.
Android (Gboard)
- Open the emoji tab and search "heart suit".
- To insert the plain symbol, add ♥ to Settings → Dictionary → Personal dictionary with a shortcut.
Google Docs
- Insert → Special characters.
- Search "heart" or type
2665in the search box.
Linux
- Press Ctrl + Shift + U.
- Type
2665, then press Space or Enter.
Works in most GTK and IBus apps.
HTML
- Write
♥anywhere in your markup.
Or save the file as UTF-8 and paste ♥ directly.
№ 04Display
Why ♥ is sometimes black and sometimes red
In Unicode names, "black" means filled and "white" means outline. The standard encodes the four card suits twice, once solid (♠ ♥ ♦ ♣) and once hollow (♤ ♡ ♢ ♧). That's why the solid heart is officially the BLACK HEART SUIT, even though printed hearts are red.
As a text character, ♥ takes the color of the words around it: black on a white page, white in dark mode, cherry inside a red link. The red heart you sometimes see on phones is something else. ♥ is also on the emoji list as ♥️ "heart suit", and some systems, Apple's in particular, may show that red emoji picture when nothing says which style you want.
Two invisible characters settle it. Adding U+FE0E after ♥ asks for the plain text style, and adding U+FE0F asks for the emoji. The Text and Emoji buttons at the top of this page copy those versions. Not every app respects the request, so test before you paste somewhere important. The full story is in ♥ vs ❤ vs ❤️ explained.
The same character, drawn live by the fonts on your device:
If two of these look exactly the same, your device is filling in with a fallback font, which is normal on phones.
<span style="color:#C8102E">♥</span>. Social apps don't let you color text, so use ♥️ or ❤️ there.№ 05History
Where the heart suit comes from
The ♥ on your screen comes from a long chain of history: a medieval love symbol, then a playing-card suit, then a character on the first IBM PC, and finally a Unicode code point.
- c. 1250
A heart for love
One of the earliest known pictures of a heart offered as a token of love appears in the French manuscript Le Roman de la poire. The heart there looks more like a pear than today's shape.
- 1400s
Hearts join the deck
German cards used hearts (Herz) as a suit. French card makers adopted cœurs, carreaux, trèfles and piques in the late 1400s. These flat shapes were easy to stencil, and became the familiar ♥ ♦ ♣ ♠.
- 1981
Position 3 on the IBM PC
The IBM PC character set, code page 437, gave printable pictures to low control codes, and ♥ landed at position 3. This is the legacy mapping associated with Alt+3; support for that input depends on the application.
- 1993
Encoded as U+2665
Unicode 1.1 placed ♥ in the Miscellaneous Symbols block, next to the other solid and outline suits from U+2660 to U+2667.
- 2015
Also an emoji
Emoji 1.0 added ♥ to the emoji list as "heart suit", because card suits were already part of the emoji sets used on Japanese phones. It kept text as its default style.
№ 06Compare
♥ vs ♡ vs ❤ vs 🖤
They all read as "heart", but they are different characters with different jobs. Tap a symbol to copy it.
| Symbol | Name & code | Looks like | Follows text color? | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black heart suitU+2665 · this page | Solid card-suit heart | Yes | Names, documents, card games | |
| White heart suitU+2661 | Outline heart | Yes | Soft, minimal bios | |
| Heavy black heartU+2764 | Rounder, heavier | Yes, red as ❤️ | Love messages | |
| Rotated heart bulletU+2765 | Tilted heart | Yes | Lists, decoration | |
| Heart exclamationU+2763 | Heart over a dot | Yes, red as ❣️ | Emphasis | |
| Black heart emojiU+1F5A4 | Always-black emoji | No | Dark aesthetic, grief |
№ 07Examples
Ways to use ♥
Combos built around the heart suit. Each one uses the plain text ♥, so it matches the color of your text.
- Card suits
- Sign-off
- Initials
- Divider
- Pattern
- Note
- Winged
- Small caps
Want more? Browse heart combos or build your own in the bar below.
№ 08FAQ
♥ symbol FAQ
What is the Alt code for the heart symbol?
Alt+3 on the numeric keypad produces ♥ in many Windows apps. Use Num Lock and a numeric keypad. Alt+9829 is not a reliable shortcut across apps; in Word, type 2665 and press Alt+X instead.
Is ♥ an emoji?
It is both. ♥ is a text symbol from 1993, and since Emoji 1.0 (2015) it is also on the emoji list as ♥️ heart suit. Its default style is text, so most apps show it as a plain one-color heart.
Why does ♥ turn into a red emoji on my iPhone?
Rendering depends on the app and font. Some apps show the heart suit as an emoji. The Text button adds U+FE0E to request text presentation, while the Emoji button adds U+FE0F to request emoji presentation. An app may still override either request.
What is the difference between ♥ and ❤?
♥ (U+2665) is the playing-card heart from the Miscellaneous Symbols block. ❤ (U+2764) is a decorative heavy heart from the Dingbats block, and with U+FE0F it becomes the red heart emoji ❤️. ❤ is usually rounder and heavier.
How do I make the heart symbol red?
On a website, color the text symbol with CSS, for example color: #C8102E. In social apps you cannot color text, so use the emoji ♥️ or ❤️ instead.
Why do I see a box instead of ♥?
The app or selected font may not contain the heart glyph. Try a different font, the simple text <3, or copying the symbol into another app. Rendering support depends on the receiving app and device.
№ 09Sources
Sources & method
- Unicode Consortium, Miscellaneous Symbols chart (U+2600–U+26FF)
- Unicode Character Database, DerivedAge.txt
- Unicode Emoji, Full Emoji List
- Unicode, emoji-variation-sequences.txt
- WHATWG HTML Standard, named character references
- Unicode mapping of IBM PC graphical characters
- V&A: early-Renaissance playing cards and stencil printing
Character names and presentation sequences are checked against Unicode data. Appearance varies by font and app. Device instructions are guidance; physical-device testing is pending.
See the sources above ↑№ 10Keep exploring
Related hearts
More guides are on the way. Topic cards marked “Planned” are not available yet.